It’s been raining since Friday but instead of a warm cup of latte, I’m suddenly craving for bingsu 😅 (shaved ice/snow ice for some) Call me weird but I just missed my fave Korean dessert 🍨

And so I am writing this blog of my top 3 Korean bingsu places in Manila. So get your eyes and tummies ready (your wallets too in case you’re near one of them lol)

There’s a variety to choose from their menu but below are the flavors I’ve tried and definitely recommend! Go solo or share, it’s up to you 😉

1. Cafe Seolhwa, Forum BGC

Out of all the places I’ve tried, Cafe Seolhwa will always be my number one! I super love their Berry Cheese Bingsu because it has all my faves in it: strawberries, blueberries, almonds and cheesecakes! And I can say that their shaved ice is the closest to Seolbing, my favorite bingsu cafe in Korea 😍

I always go to their branch in BGC Forum but I also tried visiting their branch in Century City Mall once with my siblings. We got to try their Strawberry and Mango Bingsu which were also really good!

2. Jang Dabang Cafe, Ortigas Center

This is one of my most recent finds but I can say this is one the best too! I went to Jang Dabang Cafe with my work teammates since its just near our office.

We ordered their Matcha Bingsu and it was super-duper good! The matcha ice cream, red beans, rice cakes, corn flakes and matcha wafers really went well together. Just look at how glorious it was 😭

3. Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe, Glorietta

I first tried Hobing with my thesis partner after feasting on Korean meat buffet. We ordered their Choco Bingsu since we wanted to go with a safe flavor (lol) but it turned out to be yummy too!

I also got to visit their branch in Megamall with my cousin where we tried their Berry Berry Cheese Bingsu! The contents are very similar to that of Cafe Seolhwa but I think their shaved ice is not as fine. Anyway a plus point of Hobing would be its good selection of Korean songs and music videos playing while we were there 😁

BONUS – MATCHA ALERT!

If you’re feeling Japanese, you would want to try Ikigai Kakigori Cafe in Tomas Morato for their heavenly Matcha Kakigori 💚

Then if you’re into Taiwanese, you can go to Snow Creme in Maginhawa. Of course I chose their Matcha Snow Ice 😊

If you happen to know other bingsu places, feel free to recommend! I would love try them all 😋

I’ve been a fan of matcha for almost three years now and since then I would try any matcha-flavored snack or drink that I see on a store’s menu. I also try to check out (and whenever my wallet permits 😂) new matcha dessert places that I see online.

And since Trisha (forever matcha buddy!!!) was in town, we went on our matcha-dventure to Kissako Uji Matcha Cafe as planned 💚

It was relatively full when we arrived at the cafe last Saturday afternoon. We started browsing their menu but we had a hard time choosing what to order since we wanted to try everything LOL From matcha lattes, parfaits, pastries and even matcha ramen, it was matcha heaven I swear!!! 😭

Trisha had to quickly fall in line since there was only one piece of matcha crepe left at the counter (we missed the matcha shortcake by a few minutes huhuhu) I suggest you come in earlier since the cafe has few seats and their cakes/drinks also sell out fast.

We decided to go with the last piece of their matcha crepe, matcha ramen and matcha parfait. And after around 30 minutes, our food finally came. TA-DA!!! 💚

We first tried the matcha ramen and it was perfect!!! We had some doubts before ordering it but it was really good (let me savor it again in my memory😍) I loved the meat and soup that I was literally slurping it down to the last sip 😋

Next was the crepe cake (see that matcha syrup draping!!!) It was also good but I think the matcha wasn’t too strong for me. I was craving for more flavor on it, good thing it was paired with the syrup. Last, we had the matcha parfait. We had to eat it quickly since the ice cream was already melting hahaha I loved how it has everything from matcha ice cream, matcha brownies, matcha jellies, rice cakes, red beans, cornflakes and nata jellies.

Overall, I give Kissako 💚💚💚💚 (4 out of 5 hearts) since it really did satisfy our matcha cravings. Next time, we’ll really go earlier and hopefully we get to try their other matcha cakes, matcha pudding parfait and more hihihi 😊

From ‘Nenes’ to ‘Titas’ LOL, we now call ourselves titas since it’s been two years since we graduated and started #adulting. And it’s been years as well since we got together for a trip.

And finally!!! After all those travel post taggings, group chat plannings and drawing moments 😂 and although our ‘sorority’ wasn’t complete, our weekend at Calatagan in Batangas was beyond fun and memorable ❤️

My college friends/orgmates and I have been planning this trip since last year (or last last year haha) From Batangas to Zambales to Laguna to Antipolo, we’ve been talking on how much we wanted to go to a beach/summer getaway due the heat and of course, to escape work 🙃 We were all game to go but nothing got materialized until last April.

We finally pushed thru with a beach trip to Batangas since it’s just 3-4 hours away from the city. We started looking for resorts online and I suggested we book Taltarni Guesthouse, the Airbnb listing of a friend-orgmate in Calatagan.

It originally costs us around 6k pesos at that time but since it was owned by my friend, we were given additional discount (yaaay!! thank you Lord😁) We were 6 in the group so we paid less than 1k pesos each. Originally we were 8 but drawing friends are drawing so…hahaha 😜

Four of us (me, Ate Ema, Bela and Clarence) just rode public transpo to Catagan, taking the bus near MRT Taft at around 8am. There was no bus going straight to Calatagan so we had to go down at Lian. Bus ride (around 150 pesos per pax) took 3 hours and from there, we rode a jeep (40 pesos per pax) to Calatagan market which took around 30 mins. At Calatagan market, Donita and her family were waiting for us so we could join them in their van. (If you don’t have a car, it’s another tricycle ride to the guesthouse which will be around 300 pesos per ride. Also we just learned from the caretaker that there’s a van going straight to Calatagan huhu thought we could save via bus but we didn’t 😏)

It was a long, bumpy ride but it was all worth it! When we got to the place, we were so amazed by how huge and pretty it was! Taltarni is a hidden gem, a mini Santorini in Calatagan 💙 I hate comparing PH destinations to other countries but the blue and white colors of the place is like Santorini.

Taltarni Guesthouse is only a part of the whole property. There’s the main house which can accommodate up to 21 pax, the guesthouse which was perfect for a group of 6 like us and a smaller room for a couple. The caretakers also have their quarters inside the compound so we could ask for assistance anytime. The pool is located at the main house but we were able to use it since we were the only guests at that time. The whole place was literally ours!!! ☺️

After settling down, we had our late lunch and off we go to enjoy the pool😁😁😁 EJ later joined us at around 3pm since she had errands to attend to.

We wanted to watch the sunset so we asked the caretaker if she can bring us to a nearby beach. Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy that afternoon so we couldn’t tell if the sun has set already lol We just posed for more photos before we left. We also did the trending ‘Metro pose/siksikan challenge’ hahaha

We went back to the guesthouse and cooked our dinner. Luckily we were able to buy rice, canned goods, etc. at Calatagan market so we had no problems with our food. After dinner, we wanted to swim again so our caretaker opened the pool lights/jacuzzi for us and it was really cool to see the lights turning from red to violet to green. Our night was filled with more music, selfies and laughter 😊😍

The next day, we had to wake up early since EJ had to report to work. We prepared breakfast before sending her off (tita-mommy duties lol) We took another nap and when we got up, the sun was already high (watching sunrise failed hahaha!)

We just freshened up a bit and ate breakfast again. We went to Ronco Beach Resort, the one in front of our guesthouse to take more photos. The resort was nothing special except for its IG-worthy cottage stilts.

We wanted to take more photos by the stilts but there were lots of catcallers around (BV!! 😑) so we went a bit farther to the rocky part of the resort.

We went back to the guesthouse to have one more dip before we prepare to check-out.

Our Tita-han vs. Hita-an poses 😂

We took turns in taking a shower and cooking lunch since we had to check-out by noon. Our caretaker helped us get a tricycle for 400 pesos since we were five sharing the ride. We took a few tita photos by the living room and bid our caretakers goodbye. The trike ride felt like forever and the wheels were on the brink of falling off. After 30 mins, we were dropped off at Calatagan Market and we took the bus straight back to Pasay.

It was a much-needed weekend break for all of us and we can’t wait for our Dumaguete trip this coming August! 😊

Yay!!! My friend/boss just got back from Korea and she gave me a cute pair of socks as a souvenir 😊😊

She gave me the yellow rabbit socks (top) while the red puppy (bottom) was a matchy-matchy gift (commonly called as ‘couple’ in Korea) with my Korean buddy back in 2014 when I was an exchange student.

Korean socks are my fave because of their cute designs and cheap price (ranging from 1 to 3 USD) You can choose from cute patterns, fruits, animals, superheroes and even Korean celebrities! It’s the perfect gift if you’ve got lots of friends back home asking for souvenirs from your trip 😛 Plus you can find it almost everywhere in Korea. There are stalls in Myeongdong and Insadong (famous shopping districts in Seoul), Namdaemun and Dongdaemun (famous market and shopping complex in Seoul), subway stations and even along the sidewalks.

Here are my other Korean socks which I now use instead of the plain ones:

If you’re a Korean drama/K-pop fan like me, you’ll surely enjoy buying your socks with your oppa and eonni on it. I really loved the drama ‘Descendants of the Sun’ so I bought this Captain Yoo Si Jin/Song Joong Ki socks when I went to Seoul last June 😎

The gray dog (left) was another gift from friend who was also an exchange student in Korea like me. Then the green cat (right) was from another Seoul trip last October.

I’ll be going to Korea again this year so I’m gonna hoard more for my growing collection. So if you’re gonna visit Korea anytime soon, don’t forget to bring home these cuties with you! 😁

Being a Korean drama/K-pop fan, I’ve always loved using Korean cosmetics and skincare products! Some korean products are known for its cute and fancy packaging while some for its natural ingredients.

I’ve tried different brands already since I’m always in search for the best match to my oily and acne-prone skin. My usual and simple routine would be facial foam-toner-moisturizer. I also use masks whenever I get to order or buy stocks when I travel to Korea 😍

Just recently, I received this 97% Bamboo Soothing Gel from Dewytree. It was a perfect timing since I was running out of moisturizer and I’m still waiting to order from Korea.

I instantly loved it due to its cute bamboo packaging. Another plus point for me is that it’s a 250ml bottle so it would last me a few months! 😂
Upon checking its description, it contains natural bamboo sap to keep moisture for the skin. It can also be used to hydrate and soothe irritated, sunburnt skin.

So now its time to try it! After doing my usual cleanse and tone routine, I applied an ample amount to my whole face. I like how it smells relaxing, quite similar to the aloe gel I bought before. It was quite hot today when I went out for a jog so the gel felt cool on my skin. After a few minutes the gel got easily absorbed by my skin. My skin feels softer and it doesn’t have that sticky feeling I get from other moisturizers that I’ve tried. (Sorry! I couldn’t post a photo of my face since I look to tired today😴)

Overall, I’m loving this soothing gel and I definitely recommend it. I hope it helps me get thru Manila’s summer hear haha 😊 Upon checking, this bamboo gel costs Php 319 and you can order thru their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dewytreeph/ Gotta check out their other products too!

NEWSFLASH – It was my first time in the City of Pines. Yes, your read that right!! I’ve been going here and there but it was just 2 weeks ago that I got to visit Baguio City with my sister and her boyfriend.

Well it wasn’t really in my plan to go with them since my friends and I (shoutout to my Mumshies ❤️❤️❤️) promised to go to Baguio together for our 2017 adulting trip hahaha Anyway I didn’t have any plans for that weekend so off to being third wheel LOL

We decided to take a midnight bus via Victory Liner in Cubao. We got deluxe ticket which costs 450php per way while the first class w/ cr costs 700php per way(will try this next time when we have enough budget!) Online reservation is also available so you may want to check the schedule here: https://www.victoryliner.com/TerminalGuide.aspx
The bus left Manila at 11:55pm and we dozed off our way to Baguio.

We arrived in Victory Linr terminal in Baguio at around 5:30am. First thing we did when we got off the bus was to purchase our return tickets since we didn’t want to take the risk of being chance passengers or worse be left behind in Baguio on a Sunday night.

Taxis were readily available outside the bus terminal so you can go straight to your hotel. There were also some kuyas offering transient homes and tours (even van transfers back to Manila) so I guess you can really go to Baguio without any plans at all then just book on the spot.

Our hotel check-in time was at 2pm so we decided to start going around the city. First off our list – STRAWBERRY TAHO. I super duper love strawberries and Baguio truly was a strawberry haven!! There were lots of kuyas selling strawberry-flavored taho and ates selling fresh strawberries outside the terminal. The taho had bits of strawberries mixed with it and it was super good!!! 😋😋😋

We wanted to have a proper breakfast so we opened our google maps and checked Hill Station, Casa Vallejo. It was a few-minute walk from the terminal but the restaurant was still closed so we decided to go to Baguio Cathedral instead.

By around 7am, we went back to Hill Station. The entrance/cafe part of the restaurant was a bit dark but it gave off a cozy ambience while the dining area proper was all wide and bright due to the big windows. It was such a nice place go have a hearty breakfast. We ordered the Pinoy Family Platter which cost PHP 550 for the 3 of us. The platter came with baguio longganisa, fried bangus belly, eggs, rice, side veggies and drinks that were good for 4 people. I liked the longganisa and side veggies the most 😋 We also freshened up and took photos before leaving Hill Station. I wanted to go inside Mt. Cloud bookshop but it would open at 10am. Maybe next time, I’ll go check on it.

We decided to go to Mines View Park so we rode a jeep in front of Hill Station. We didn’t know the route but I saw Mines View Park on its signage so we just hopped in. The driver said that he’ll drop us off at the jeep terminal and then we should ride another jeep going to Mines View Park. We paid 8.50 PHP each for the short ride. When we got on the next (and correct) jeep, we paid 10 PHP each since it was a full/longer ride.

It was bustling when we arrived at Mines View Park since it was a weekend plus there was no entrance fee so anyone can just come and go. I must say it was a typical tourist spot with vendors here and there, different activities to try and lots of people taking their selfies/groupies. What I loved about the place was the line of blossoms and of course the viewing deck.

On the other hand, I also felt sad for the animals and almost everything being commodified inside the park (a paper from one of my undergrad Tourism class just popped on my mind)

We left the park and walked to the Good Sheperd. After the long lines, we finally got our hands on the ever-famous ube jam and of course my favorite strawberry jelly ❤️ My sister and her boyfriend also bought ice cream from their ice cream shop.

Our next stop was Kamiseta Hotel (we also passed by Wright Park where we saw lots of horses) which is a very quaint and fancy hotel in Baguio. The entrance was full of floral-painted walls and a royal chair where I took my ‘feeling like a princess’ shot.

At the basement, they have the Kamiseta clothes shop and Vanilla Cupcake Bakery. We were supposed to just look around, take photos and have lunch at Ketchup Food Community back at Wright Park but we were tired of walking already so we decided to stay and order. While waiting, I took some photos of the restaurant interiors and decors.

Everything was so pretty, it made me all giddy like a little girl wanting to try on her new dress 😍 Our food came and among them, I liked the pesto pasta the most! (We spent around 200 PHP per dish by the way)

After some rest, we started walking again to Botanical Garden. My sister wanted to go to The Mansion but we didn’t push thru since it will be another hike uphill. Baguio has so much hikes it was energy-draining for us!!! LOL

After a few shots at the garden, we took a taxi (flat rate is PHP 35) to our hotel Inn Rocio. For one night, we paid around PHP 800 per person which already includes breakfast. Our room was a simple triple room, with own restroom. There was no aircon since Baguio is already cold.

We settled down, unpacked our things and slept for a few hours beforing heading out again. We walked to Burnham Park but when we arrived it suddenly rained hard that we were forced fo buy umbrellas (100 PHP each). The designs we picked were cute so it was ok anyway.

We left the park and went to Good Taste to have dinner. It was full-house but we were able to sit immediately since we were just 3 people. We ordered molo soup, buttered chicken and beef brocolli. We were surprised when our orders came since it looked like it can feed at least five 😳

After dinner we walked to Harrison road to find a pharmacy since my sister was feeling unwell. We wanted to wait for the ukay-ukay but we decided to head back to the hotel so my sister can also rest.

The next day, we checked out after breakfast and left our things at the front desk. We took a taxi since Ben Cab Museum is quite far from the city center.

We paid for our tickets (PHP 120 each) and started touring the galleries. I guess we were super lucky that day since we got to meet and take a photo with Mr. Ben Cab himself!!! I never thought I would personally meet a National Artist in this lifetime 😭😊

Aside from the galleries, the museum has a garden, eco trail (separate admission) and cafe. We had our lunch at Cafe Sabel and I must say their food is superb. I loved my order Ben Cab’s signature pasta. And special mention to the volcano ice cream (vanilla-flavored with slices of strawberries) It was pure hapiness for me!!! 😍
Back at city proper we went straight to public market to buy more pasalubongs. I bought half kilo of strawberries for 90 PHP while my sister and her boyfriend bought more plus lengua de gata, blueberries, grapes, etc.

After shopping, we went back to the hotel to get our bags and then to Victory Liner terminal to wait for our trip back to Manila. We wanted to have dinner at Cafe by the Ruins Dua (Cafe by the Ruins was burned down a week before our trip 😢) but we didn’t have enough time so we just bought take-outs. Our bus left Baguio at 6PM and we arrived in Cubao at around 11:30PM

It was a short but sweet escape from the city’s stressful routine! And I’ll make sure to go back ☺️